1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is a portable desk and cooperative portable file folder holder both of which can be utilized in a seat, such as the seat of an automobile or of a house chair.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Today, many business people spend a great deal of time traveling in and transacting business from a motor vehicle, and thus must carry along many commonly used business items such as file folders containing information on clients and products, maps, writing paper, pens and pencils, calculators, staplers, tape, scissors, portable computers such note book sized computers, and cellular phones for example. When needed, these files and business items must often be retrieved from the vehicle back seat; the vehicle trunk; a disorganized pile of numerous items on the vehicle seat, or from a relatively small brief case, all of which is inconvenient and time consuming.
Many traveling business persons frequently have meetings in offices remote of their vehicle during the work day. Such meetings remote of the vehicle often require files on products and clients, and common business related items to be removed from the vehicle and taken to the meeting, and then taken back to the vehicle. Additionally, many traveling business persons conduct business from vehicles during the day and complete business paper and computer work at night in motels or at home. Such conditions of working from a vehicle during the day and completing the work at night, whether at home or in a motel, as well as the business meetings during the day remote of the vehicle, necessitates relocating some, or all of the business related items and files from the vehicle to the remote site and then later back to the vehicle.
Additionally, business people who spend a great deal of time transacting business from a motor vehicle occasionally desire to access files, maps, writing implements or even a note book computer while in their vehicle, such as while parked in a parking lot, stopped in traffic or when pulled-off the road to perform a brief task such as to make a memo, read a map or prepare for their next meeting.
There is a need for a business person to be able to easily transport files and common business items in a vehicle, and to be able to easily access the items while in the vehicle for use, such as for writing or typing a memo or reading a map, and further wherein the files and business items are stored and organized in a manner allowing the business person to readily relocated all or just some of the items, depending upon the business persons particular needs and desires, to a site remote of the vehicle and then to later re-install the items into the vehicle.
Although related prior art devices have already attempted to address some of these needs, none of the prior art devices are considered to have adequately solved a sufficient number of problems related to being a modern business person whom conducts a substantial amount of business from a motor vehicle.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any devices which are structured identically as the present invention, or which offer the same benefits. The following patents do however disclose related devices which are considered relevant to the present invention, and which exemplify the related prior art devices and the common shortcomings associated therewith:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,890, was issued to V. K. Schultz on Aug. 21, 1990, for a Filing, Organizing and Desk Device For Use In Motor Vehicles. Due to structural shortcomings, the Schultz device cannot provide the user all of the use benefits of the present invention. For just one example, the Schultz device does not include or anticipate a file holding structure which is readily disconnectable or removable from the main desk structure to allow the user to easily take an organized group of files (and other select business items) from the vehicle to a meeting, motel room or other location remote of the vehicle.
D. E. Radcliffe was granted U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,241 on May 23, 1989, for Vehicle Portable-Office Organizer. The Radcliffe device like that of Schultz's does not provide a file holding structure which is readily disconnectable or removable from the main desk structure to allow the user to easily take an organized group of files from the vehicle to a meeting or other location remote of the vehicle. The Radcliffe device does include a holder for a closed brief case, and although a brief case normally can hold a small quantity of files and other business related items, the Radcliffe device does not provide or anticipate structuring which supports or secures the files so that when in the vehicle, the driver can readily thumb through a group of files to locate and access a given single file. With the Radcliffe device, the brief case must be stored in the closed state in the desk.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,865 was issued May 29, 1990 to B. S. Lorence et al for a Bilateral Beverage Container Holder intended for use in a vehicle. The Lorence et al device is a vehicle armrest comprising a lower housing member which rests upon the vehicle seat, and an upper housing member attached with a hinge to the lower housing member. The upper housing member is pivotally positionable between a lowered or closed position and a raised or open position whereat the upper housing member is generally perpendicular to the lower housing member. Although the Lorence et al device is stated to be for holding beverage containers, games and game pieces, it appears as though it could be used as a small vehicle desk, and thus is believed somewhat relevant.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,345,118 issued Oct. 3, 1967 to D. M. Cummings shows a Desk for Use in Vehicles. The Cummings desk includes a base member having drawers and securement structure for rendering the desk stationary in the front seat area of a vehicle. The Cummings desk additionally includes a horizontally disposed desk top work surface which can be raised by pivoting on hinges to a vertically disposed position to allow access into the desk.